"[A] BRILLIANT, WITTY AND PROVOCATIVE NEW NOVEL." --San Francisco Chronicle As a young woman, the brilliant and eternally curious Magda Danvers took the academic world by storm. Then, to everyone's surprise, she married Francis Lake, a mild, midwestern seminarian, who has devoted his life to taking care of his charismatic wife. Now, Magda's grave illness puts their marriage to its ultimate test. Though facing her "Final Examination," Magda continues to arouse her visitors with compelling thoughts and questions. Into this provocative atmosphere comes Alice Henry, retreating from family tragedy and a crumbling marriage to novelist Hugo Henry. But is it the incandescence of Magda's ideas that draws Alice, or the secret of "the good marriage" that she is desperate to discover? For Alice, Hugo, Francis, and Magda will learn that the most ideal relationship--even a perfect marriage--doesn't come without a price.... "COMPELLING WRITING...REMARKABLY SKILLFUL...Gail Godwin shows herself to be at the height of her considerable power as a storyteller and a writer." --The Boston Globe "ONE OF HER FINEST BOOKS...It is not only a well-written story, but a mature and wise one, affirmative in its vision of love, unblinking in its portrayal of tragic loss." --Atlanta Journal & Constitution "FASCINATING...[A] BIG SUMPTUOUS BOOK...HER BEST NOVEL." --Entertainment Weekly "A BRILLIANTLY CRAFTED NOVEL, full of fun and mischief and resonating with wisdom and moral depth." --New Woman A Featured Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club

The art of being a good husband is not an easy one. This little guide was written for the middle classes of the 1930s who were reading one of the first modern self-help books. Illustrated with contemporary line-drawings, it contains advice by turns delightfully arcane and timelessly true, for example:Don't squeeze the tube of toothpaste from the top instead of from the bottom. This is one of the small things of life that always irritates a careful wife.Don't think that your wife has placed waste-paper baskets in the rooms as ornaments.Don't tell your wife terminological inexactitudes, which are, in plain English, lies. A woman has wonderful intuition for spotting even minor departures from the truth.Do cultivate the habit of coming down to breakfast with a smile. Remember that as the head of the house, it is your duty to see that everyone starts the day in an atmosphere of happiness.Don't criticise the food at your own table when you are entertaining and especially refrain from doing so before the servants.

For men, and the women who love them, this is a highly controversial book on how to get - and be - a good husband. This book will appeal to the countless women who resent that their husbands never listen and that they have to nag in order to get them to do anything around the house; who feel like their husbands are always pawing at them to have sex; and who want more from their marriage. It will appeal to men who want to have more sex, less nagging, and wives who adore them. In short, Good Husband, Great Marriage is the book for everyone. Good Husband, Great Marriage is a hard-hitting, no-nonsense guidebook for men and women to help them fix their marriages. Robert Alter's central, controversial argument: the man is primarily responsible for the marital problems. Alter says to women: "You are right to want what you want from him." He says to men: "Stop thinking it's your wife's fault, and transform yourself into the good husband you know you have in you. " In 50 chapters, Alter describes the problem areas men face and what actions they can take to fix them. The chapters include: "How to Know When You're Being a Man as Opposed to When You're Being an Asshole," "How to Talk to Her," and "Your Anger: Cut the Shit." Alter's approach is straightforward and logical; he speaks to men in a language they understand. In addition, sections of the book will be geared for women where Alter will give advice to women on what they can do.

A guide for women on how to choose a partner for a lasting, loving, and fulfilling marriage.

Three wives, one letter, and an explosive secret that will change everything. He said, she said. Who do you believe? Jessica, Stephanie and Priyanka are complete strangers, but they have one thing in common: they’ve each received a letter accusing their husbands of committing a sexual assault more than two decades prior. Is the accusation true or is there more to the story? It was a secret that remained buried for years. With their worlds suddenly turned upside down, they don’t know who to trust—a complete stranger or the men they love and built their lives with. The three women come together to embark on a hunt for the truth, but they are hardly prepared for what they will discover. Who is the victim, and will justice ultimately be served?

#1 New York Times bestseller Lisa Gardner’s riveting suspense debut asks: What would you do if the man of your dreams hides the soul of a killer? “Lisa Gardner’s books come with a built-in set of hands. They reach up out of the pages, grab you by the lapels, and hold you until you’ve read to the final, suspense-filled sentence.”—Linwood Barclay Jim Beckett was everything she’d ever dreamed of. . . . But two years after Tess married the decorated cop and bore his child, she helped put him behind bars for savagely murdering ten women. Even locked up in a maximum security prison, he vowed he would come after her and make her pay. Now the cunning killer has escaped—and the most dangerous game of all begins. After a lifetime of fear, Tess will do something she’s never done before. She’s going to learn to protect her daughter and fight back, with the help of a burned-out ex-marine. As the largest manhunt four states have ever seen mobilizes to catch Beckett, the clock winds down to the terrifying reunion between husband and wife. And Tess knows that this time, her only choices are to kill—or be killed.

Don’t miss this gloriously feel-good and funny read from the No.1 bestselling author of The Christmas Invitation. Perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde

From a New York Times–bestselling author: A searing account of cold-blooded murder as told by “one of the chief practitioners of the true crime genre” (The Baltimore Sun). Michael Peterson was a decorated war veteran and bestselling novelist. His wife, Kathleen, was a high-powered executive and devoted mother. To everyone who knew them, they seemed to be the perfect couple living a life most people would kill for. Then came the tragic night Michael found Kathleen at the bottom of the stairs in a pool of blood. He claimed her death was an accident. The prosecution thought different and put him on trial—and behind bars. Then, in a stunning reversal, a judge gave Michael another chance to stand trial as his children steadfastly proclaimed his innocence. But what happened next would stun observers as new evidence and bizarre theories were introduced in a legal battle that would drag on until it became one of the longest trials in state history. Aphrodite Jones draws on exclusive interviews and revelatory facts to deliver “a richly detailed and deeply researched tale of a greedy, sociopathic killer” (Caitlin Rother, New York Times–bestselling author).

While this book is indeed titled How to Be a Husband, please do not mistake it for a self-help book. Tim Dowling—columnist for The Guardian, husband, father of three, a person who once got into a shark tank for money—does not purport to have any pearls of wisdom about wedded life. What he does have is more than twenty years of marriage experience, and plenty of hilarious advice for what not to do in almost every conjugal situation. With the sharp wit that has made his Guardian columns a weekly must-read, Dowling explores what it means to be a good husband in the twenty-first century. The bar has been raised dramatically in the last hundred years: back in the day, every time you went out for cigarettes, it was simply expected that you came back. Now, every time you’re sent out for espresso pods and tampons, it is expected that you come back with the right sort. And being a father doesn’t seem to command much innate respect these days, either. When his first child was born, Dowling imagined himself eliciting a natural awe as the distant, authoritative figurehead; he did not anticipate his children hijacking his Twitter account to post heartfelt admissions of loserdom like, “Hi, I suck at everything I try in life.” Still, two decades of wedded bliss is nothing to sneeze at, particularly from a couple who agreed to get married with the resigned determination of two people plotting to bury a body in the woods. How to Be a Husband is a wickedly funny guide to surviving the era of “The End of Men” (hint: it involves DIY), and an unexpectedly poignant memoir about love, marriage, and staying together until death doth you part.

Avid hunter Steve Chapman (A Look at Life from a Deer Stand--200,000 copies sold) enthusiastically pursues a lifelong hobby while remaining passionate about his wife and home. Knowing the perils of spending too much time in the woods, he prayed, studied God's Word, and sought advice. The result? Nine life-changing principles to balancing hobbies and marriage, including-- investing equal finances in his spouse's interests spending more time with his wife than with his hobby communicating desire to be with his family sharing the child-rearing load making sure hobby doesn't cause a mess Whether their passion is hunting, golf, or team sports, this guide will help men participate in hobbies and keep their families happy.